Mysterious India-born investor makes $3.8 bn from Twitter IPO

Suhail Rizvi, an enigmatic India-born investor, has emerged as one of the biggest gainers from Twitter's high-profile public debut with his 15.6% stake in the micro-blogging site worth a whopping $3.8 billion.

Suhail Rizvi, an enigmatic India-born investor, has emerged as one of the biggest gainers from Twitter's high-profile public debut with his 15.6% stake in the micro-blogging site worth a whopping $3.8 billion.

Rizvi is the "non-boldface name of the moment", a report in the New York Times said, describing him as a "strategic power broker who prefers to operate behind the scenes".

The 47-year-old has remained a mystery in the Silicon Valley despite his significant tech investments in recent years.

He runs a private investment company Rizvi Traverse Management, the largest outside investor in the micro-blogging site with a 15.6% stake worth $3.8 billion at the end of trading on Twitter NYSE debut on Thursday.

"Twitter's public offering represents a coming-out party for Rizvi, who remains largely a mystery in Silicon Valley despite his growing number of tech investments.

"In Silicon Valley, and even at Twitter's San Francisco headquarters, prominent investors and executives said they had not heard his name until it popped up in public disclosures by the company last month," the report said on Thursday.

"Rizvi's rise illustrates how a new tech investor class with deep Wall Street connections is carving new paths into the unfamiliar and insular terrain of Silicon Valley," it said.

Despite a stellar rise, Rizvi has managed to stay almost entirely out of the spotlight.

Born in India and raised in Iowa, Rizvi is known as a quiet man who has built a "powerful and diverse" group of friends, including Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and chief executive of YouTube Salar Kamangar.

"Rizvi has been seen partying atop Eric Schmidt's yacht, the Oasis, at Cannes.

"Some Twitter investors said at one point when they saw the mysterious Rizvi's stake in the company was growing, they jokingly considered whether a criminal-background check was warranted," the report said.

Rizvi's Twitter profile is private, and the photo associated with it is that of a peacock.